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Monday, May 30, 2016

Here are some images of Trumpeter's 1/32 scale Junkers JU -87 G2 (Stuka).
This is a model of Hans Rudel's aircraft with a winter scheme.
I tried to make the splotches as quick and haphazard looking as I could. As it was done in the field with white wash and paint brushes.

From Wikipedia"

With the G variant, the ageing airframe of the Ju 87 found new life
as an anti-tank aircraft. This was the final operational version of the
Stuka, and was deployed on the Eastern Front. The reverse in German
military fortunes after 1943 and the appearance of huge numbers of well-armoured Soviet tanks caused Junkers to adapt the existing design to combat this new threat. The Henschel Hs 129B
had proved a potent ground attack weapon, but its large fuel tanks made
it vulnerable to enemy fire, prompting the RLM to say "that in the
shortest possible time a replacement of the Hs 129 type must take
place."
With Soviet tanks the priority targets, the development of a further
variant as a successor to the Ju 87D began in November 1942. On 3
November, Erhard Milch
raised the question of replacing the Ju 87, or redesigning it
altogether. It was decided to keep the design as it was, but the
power-plant was upgraded to a Junkers Jumo 211J,
and two 30 mm (1.2 in) cannons were added. The variant was also
designed to carry a 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) free-fall bomb load.
Furthermore, the armoured protection of the Ilyushin Il-2Sturmovik was copied - a feature pioneered by the 1916-17 origin Junkers J.I of World War I Imperial Germany's Luftstreitkräfte - to protect the crew from ground fire now that the Ju 87 would be required to conduct low level attacks.Hans-Ulrich Rudel, a Stuka ace, had suggested using two 37 mm (1.46 in) Flak 18 guns, each one in a self-contained under-wing gun pod, as the Bordkanone BK 3,7,
after achieving success against Soviet tanks with the 20 mm MG 151/20
cannon. These gun pods were fitted to a Ju 87 D-1, W.Nr 2552 as "Gustav
the tank killer" - the co-incidence of "Gustav" being the standard word
for "G" in the Germans' own spelling alphabet
of the time could have inspired the choice of letter for the subtype.
The first flight of the machine took place on 31 January 1943, piloted
by Hauptmann Hans-Karl Stepp. The continuing problems with about two dozens of the Ju 88P-1, and slow development of the Henschel Hs 129B-3, each of them equipped with a large, PaK 40-based,
autoloading Bordkanone 7,5 7.5 cm (2.95 in) cannon in a conformal gun
pod beneath the fuselage, meant the Ju 87G was put into production. In
April 1943, the first production Ju 87 G-1s were delivered to front line
units.The two 37 mm (1.46 in) cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with two six-round magazines of armour-piercingtungsten carbide-cored ammunition. With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel
("cannon-bird"), as it was nicknamed, proved spectacularly successful
in the hands of Stuka aces such as Rudel. The G-1 was converted from
older D-series airframes, retaining the smaller wing, but without the
dive brakes. The G-2 was similar to the G-1 except for use of the
extended wing of the D-5. 208 G-2s were built and at least a further 22
more were converted from D-3 airframes.Only a handful of production Gs were committed in the Battle of Kursk.
On the opening day of the offensive, Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew the only
"official" Ju 87 G, although a significant number of Ju 87D variants
were fitted with the 37 mm (1.46 in) cannon, and operated as unofficial
Ju 87 Gs before the battle. In June 1943, the RLM ordered 20 Ju 87Gs as
production variants. The G-1 later influenced the design of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, with Hans Rudel's book, Stuka Pilot being required reading for all members of the A-X project.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Here are some images of Dave Porter's Tanmen 1/72 Galmor ES-11D “Cat’s Eye”, and here in Dave's own words is his description.

This is a 1/72 Galmor ES-11D “Cat’s Eye” recon/elint space plane from the TV series Macross. The kit is a from Tanmen, a builder and designer out of japan. It’s made of resin and white metal and was very challenging to put together. I don’t think that there is any available any more. A better bet is the Moscato/Neptune kit. It’s far more detailed and they are available from time to time.

The scheme of the ship was totally influenced by PetarBelik, creator and proprietor of Studio Starforge (sadly; no longer in business). Studio Starforgespecialized in 1/72 scale figures and decals for Macross and Star Wars themed models.I used a couple of his pilots for my ship. Many thanks! I have included a couple of pictures of his “Cats Eye”.

Even though the project was long, it was fun. As the story goes, the earth is in a fight with aliens where extinction could be the result. Therefore; every pop star, movie icon, or model is firmly behind the war effort (not like today).As a result, their portraits get painted on some of UN craft.

I finished the model with Tamiya acrylics and artist oils. I used a variety of aftermarket decals. There is plenty of Macross specific and rivet detail decals available.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

At the turn of the century, Fire Engines propelled by motors (engines) were considered to be experimental
contraptions.
Fire fighters very proud of their competence to fight fires with horse drawn and steam pump equipment
were reluctant to make the change. It should be remembered that the horse would start at the crack of a
whip, but that early automobiles had to be coaxed into action, particularly on a cold day.
Few realized at the time what progress was about to be made.
THE 1908 DENNIS
Pressured water supplies were not always available in the early 1900's as they are generally today. In many
country districts, water for domestic use was scooped or pumped from a well in the yard or inside the
building (which may have been burning).
In 1901, the Fire Service Committee of Liverpool, England experimented with an "automatic water
supplier". Later, an engine was developed in Lancashire which had a small ladder unit with only a 7 h.p.
engine. It had a maximum speed of 14 m.p.h.
Following these not too successful experiments, a Mr. Edington of Totenham Fire Brigade designed
"the automatic fire escape machine". This was made by the Merryweather Company of Greenwich. It had
a 20 h.p. engine and moved at 15 m.p.h. and could be reliably in motion in about 20 minutes. This was
competitive with hitching up a team of horses and firing up a steam engine. Learning of this success,
the Fire Chief of Finchley Fire Brigade (Mr. Shy), had one built by Merryweather Company with increased
power. Its 30 h.p. engine could suck up 250 gallons of water a minute and shoot 160 feet into the air.
Its success established the acceptance of the gas engine for use in fire fighting equipment.
Dennis Brothers Ltd. of Guildford was next in the field. The brothers, John and Raymond, started
business as bicycle makers, and as a result of the hills in the area, decided to produce bicycles equipped
with Dion Bouton engines. They graduated through tricycles to motor cars, equipped with engines made
by White & Pope of Coventry.
Their first fire engine was sold to Bradford Fire Brigade for a cost of 900 pounds (about $2,500).
It was equipped with a 36 foot ladder and a multi-stage pump powered by the engine.
This equipment created a lot of attention and during the following year, 8 of these epoch making machines
were sold. By 1914, yearly production was up to 44, 1915, 88, and London Fire Brigade had 90 units on
order.
Two of the 1914 Fire Engines were sold to the city of Coventry. One of these is maintained in perfect
condition at Dennis Bros. Ltd. factory. Like Rolls Royce, Dennis Brothers still believe their success has
been the result of maintaining their original policy of using only the best materials and workmanship
that is available.
The fine quality of workmanship is obvious in examining the White and Pope Engine and the Gwyne's
Pump.
The four-cylinder engine on the 1914 model develops 75 brake horsepower at 1,150 r.p.m. Power is
transmitted through a dry cone clutch through a four-speed gear box, to the unique worm wheel live axle
developed by Dennis Brothers.
The pump is a three stage centrifugal type and is geared to the engine at 1,000 r.p.m., producing a pumping
capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute.
A Bailey escape ladder is mounted on a gallow, and will extend to about 50 feet.
Dennis Brothers Ltd. is now the largest producer of fire engines in England. They also make a wide range
of commercial and utility vehicles.
The 1914 model can still be seen at auto rallies in England (with Dennis Apprentice Association markings).
Its gleaming red paint and polished brass recaptures the excitement created when the sight of a fire engine
speeding through the streets with its proud brass helmeted, smartly uniformed crew was an awe inspiring
spectacle.

Monday, May 2, 2016

From Wikipedia"The Fw 190 D (nicknamed the Dora; or Long-Nose Dora, "Langnasen-Dora")
was intended to improve on the high-altitude performance of the
A-series enough to make it useful against the American heavy bombers of
the era. In the event, the D series was rarely used against the
heavy-bomber raids, as the circumstances of the war in late 1944 meant
that fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions took
priority. A total of 1,805 D-9s were produced. Production started in August 1944.With the D version the power plant was changed from the radial engine
of earlier models to a 12-cylinder inverted-Vee liquid-cooled engine.
The Jumo 213A generated 1,750 PS (1,726 hp, 1,287 kW), and could produce 2,100 PS (2,071 hp, 1,545 kW) of emergency power with MW 50
injection, improving performance to 686 km/h (426 mph) at 6,600 m
(21,700 ft). In order to fit the new engine in the Fw 190 fuselage while
maintaining proper balance, both the nose and the tail of the aircraft
were lengthened, adding nearly 1.52 m (4.99 ft) to the fuselage,
bringing the overall length to 10.192 m (33.438 ft) versus the 9.10 m
(29.9 ft) of the late war A-9 series. The lengthened tail required a
straight-sided bay, 30 cm (12 in) long, spliced in forward of the rear
angled joint and tail assembly of the fuselage. To further aid balance,
the pilot's oxygen bottles were moved aft and located in the new bay.
This gave the rear fuselage a "stretched" appearance.Furthermore, the move to a V12 engine from a radial engine required
more components to be factored into the design, most significantly the
need for coolant radiators (radial engines are air-cooled). To keep the
design as simple and as aerodynamic as possible, Tank used an annular
radiator (the AJA 180 L) installed at the front of the engine, similar
to the configuration used in the Jumo powered versions of the Junkers Ju 88.
The annular radiator with its adjustable cooling gills resembled a
radial engine installation, although the row of six short exhausts
stacks on either side of the elongated engine cowling showed that the
Jumo 213 was an inverted vee-12 engine.
While the first few Doras were fitted with the flat-top canopy, these
were later replaced with the newer rounded top "blown" canopy first used
on the A-8 model. With the canopy changes, the shoulder and head armour
plating design was also changed. Some late model Doras were also fitted
with the broader-chord Ta 152 vertical stabilizer and rudder, often
called "Big Tails" by the Luftwaffe ground crews and pilots, as seen on
W.Nr. 500647 Brown 4 from 7./JG 26 and W.Nr. 500645 Black 6 from JG 2. The centreline weapons rack was changed to an ETC 504 with a simplified and much smaller mounting and fairing.Early D-9s reached service without the MW 50 installation, but in the
meantime Junkers produced a kit to increase manifold pressure (Ladedrucksteigerungs-Rüstsatz)
that increased engine output by 150 PS to 1,900 PS, and was effective
up to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) altitude. It was fitted immediately to D-9s
delivered to the units from September, or retrofitted in the field by
TAM. By the end of December, all operational Doras, 183 in total, were
converted. From November 1944, a simplified methanol water (MW 50) system (Oldenburg)
was fitted, which boosted output to 2,100 PS. By the end of 1944, 60
were delivered with the simplified MW 50 system or were at the point of
entering service. The 115 litre (30.4 US gal) capacity tank of the Oldenburg
system would hold the MW 50 booster liquid, which was single purpose,
while later systems were to be dual purpose, holding either MW 50 or
additional fuel.The fighter lacked the higher rate of roll of its close coupled
radial-engined predecessor. However it was faster, with a maximum speed
of 680 km/h (422 mph) at 6,600 meters (21,650 ft). Its 2,240 horsepower
with methanol-water injection (MW 50) gave it an excellent acceleration
in combat situations. It also climbed and dived more rapidly than the Fw
190A, and so proved well suited to the dive-and-zoom ambush tactics
favored by the Schlageter
fighter wing's pilots from November 1944 onward, when the wing
converted to the Fw 190D. Many of the early models were not equipped
with methanol tanks for the MW 50 boost system, which was in very short
supply in any event. At low altitude, the top speed and acceleration of
these examples were inferior to those of Allied fighters. Hans Hartigs
recalled that only one of the first batch of Dora 9s received by the
First Gruppe had methanol water injection, and the rest had a top speed of only 590 km/h (360 mph).Owing to the failure of multiple attempts to create an effective
next-generation 190, as well as the comments of some Luftwaffe pilots,
expectations of the Dora project were low. These impressions were not
helped by the fact that Tank made it very clear that he intended the D-9
to be a stopgap until the Ta 152
arrived. These negative opinions existed for some time until positive
pilot feedback began arriving at Focke-Wulf and the Luftwaffe command
structure.
Sporting good handling and performance characteristics, the D-9 made an
effective medium altitude, high speed interceptor, although its
performance still fell away at altitudes above about 6,000 m
(20,000 ft). When flown by capable pilots, the Fw 190D proved the equal
of Allied types.

This captured Fw 190 D-9 appears to be a late production aircraft built by Fieseler at Kassel. It has a late style canopy; the horizontal black stripe with white outline shows that this was a II.Gruppe aircraft.

As it was used in the anti-fighter role, armament in the "D" was
generally lighter compared to that of the earlier aircraft—usually the
outer wing cannon were omitted so that the armament consisted of two
13 mm (.51 in) cowling-mounted MG 131s, with 400 rounds per gun, and two
wing root mounted 20 mm MG 151/20E cannon with 250 rounds per gun; all four weapons were synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The wings of the D-9 still had the electrical circuits and attachment points for the underwing BR 21 rocket propelled mortar, although none appeared to have used these operationally.
While inferior to the A-series in roll rate, the "D" was superior in
turn rate, climb, dive and horizontal speed. The Dora still featured the
same wing as the A-8, however, and was capable of carrying outer wing
cannon as well, as demonstrated by the D-11 variant, with a three-stage
supercharger and four wing cannon (two MG 151s and two MK 108s). The first Fw 190 D-9s started entering service in September 1944, with
III./JG 54. It was quickly followed by other units including I./JG 26
which flew its last operations on the A-8s on 19 November 1944.Some Fw 190 Ds served as fighter cover for Messerschmitt Me 262 airfields, as the jet fighters were very vulnerable on take-off and landing. These special units were known as Platzsicherungstaffel (airfield security squadrons). One unit, known as the Würger-Staffel, was created in April 1945 by Leutnant Heinz Sachsenberg at the behest of Adolf Galland, and was part of JV 44.
The role of the Staffel was to guard the airfield and JV 44's Me 262s
as they landed; as such the Fw 190s were supposed to take off before the
jets and circle the airfield in pairs (a Rotte). However, to allow the 262s a clear run back to the airfield the 190s had to land before the jets, negating their protection. To help anti-aircraft artillery protecting the airfields to quickly identify friendly aircraft, the under-surfaces of the Würger-Staffel 190s were painted red with narrow white stripes. leading to the alternative nickname of Papageien Staffel (parrot squadron) from the bright red color.